Kurds and more effective international measures towards
self-determination

[16:08 , 08 Nov 2006]
Kurds (The Kurdish Globe)

PNA-Recently European Parliament asked the governments of Turkey,
Syria and Iran to respect the cultural rights of Kurds.

The report reads that Kurdish language has been forbidden
systematically without reason, though Kurds are one of the large nation who
have not their own state. However Kurds want to take advantages of the
discussion.

Sayid Ibrahim, head of the Komala believes that any type of
international discussion on the Kurdish issue is something to be taken
advantage of by the Kurds. "There is a truth of which we, the Kurds, and our
oppressors know for a fact.

That is, the coming about of a democratic environment in any of the
four parts of Kurdistan will open more doors for developing the (Kurdish)
political struggle," Ibrahim says. "This means if these countries do not
think of solving the Kurdish question directly, they will not let democracy
exist either."

He believes that any right achieved by means of power struggle will
not have any purpose, and the cultural rights of the people of Iraqi
Kurdistan gained since early 1970s is a clear example of that. According to
Ibrahim, the recent initiations of the European Union to grant cultural
rights to the people of Kurdistan could very well be another attempt to
maintain the balance of power. He says the suggestions of the EU are for the
purpose of these countries to get rid of the Kurdish issue without solving
the matter indefinitely.

"Since the coming to power of Khatami, cultural rights have been
abandoned," says Ibrahim. "And the reason for that is to descend the Kurdish
issue from a national one to a less important one." He believes that this EU
request is nothing more than another discussion for the Iranian authorities
to further demeaning the issue, which can only be solved through the right
to self-determination, to an inferior issue.

Playing with the Kurdish issue for their own self-interests

Ibrahim states that all that certain nations and the superpowers are
doing is simply playing with the Kurdish issue for their own self-interests.
They have made the Kurds one of their strongest cards to be played when they
want to threaten or put pressure on the countries that contradict them.
"Whenever they think their interests can be met via other means, they go
ahead and turn their back to Kurds." Although, Ibrahim believes the Kurds
have been able to gain huge accomplishments. He says that Kurds, themselves,
are able to put forward their issue on their own and prove their existence,
both internally and internationally.

However, Abdulbaqi Yousef, former president of the Kurdish Union Party
of Syria, who is now the party's politburo member, considers the decision to
be a positive one from which he says the Kurds can benefit to a great
extent. "I hope the European Union will seriously take the Kurdish issue
into account and not just use it as an excuse to pressure the countries with
Kurdish populations," he says.

This Kurdish political party official also mentioned that his party
had prepared a protocol between the European Union and Syria for the same
rights; however, Syria refused to sign it and the European Union did not do
anything to confront that seriously. (The Union) simply said that the
Kurdish issue in Syria, Iran, Turkey and Iraq can only be calmed down
through democratic polls in the region, adding that this would bring about
and stabilize security in the area.

European countries try hard to help and solve the Kurdish issue

Yousef added that the Kurdish factions are capable of benefiting from
any international initiation on the Kurdish issue, and the Kurds should
exert their efforts to help themselves. According to him, the Kurdish issue
is no longer an internal problem; but a global matter which concerns the
region and the world politics. International opportunities have made
governments worldwide to review their politics and policies towards Kurds.
"The Cold War had really downsized the Kurdish problem, and the opportunity
that exists today is not in the interests of those countries upon which the
Kurds have been distributed," Yousef says.

He adds that it is necessary for the Kurds to flourish democracy
within themselves to rejoin a greater Middle East currently undergoing
region-wide democratization.

The opinion of Haval Abubakir, journalist and professor at the
University of Sulaimaniyah; however, is that Europe wants to have a voice in
the Middle Eastern negotiations which has so far been able to show its
presence in both, Iraq and Lebanon. He says if the bordering countries did
decide to grant the Kurds cultural rights, it would only be to prevent the
Kurds in the region to reach the stage at which the Kurds in Iraq are. They
would only do that to give the least amount of rights to Kurds.

Abubakir believes that certain European countries do try hard to help
and solve the Kurdish issue, but certain Kurdish factions are with the idea
of having the Kurdish problem internally within the borders of the states
without any external power attacking any of the countries, Turkey, Iran or
Syria. They do not want their rights to be under the attacks of global
politics and international balancing of power.

"Today, the Kurds are an effective force," he says. "This is one
reason behind the decision of some of the European Union member-states for
their initiation," adding that Iran and Syria are now under major threats.
Finding a solution for Kurds peacefully in their borders would be much
better than what is happening in Iraq today.

Abubakir added that through having these cultural rights granted to
them, the Kurds would then be able to gradually find all their
self-determination rights. He believes that if Kurds, after they are given
their cultural rights, make efforts towards obtaining their political rights
and establish their government departments within themselves, they would
then be taking a more "right" path, briefly referring to the Kurdish
government in Iraq as an example to his opinion.

The use of the term "Kurdistan" is vigorously rejected due to its
alleged political implications by the Republic of Turkey, which does not
recognize the existence of a "Turkish Kurdistan".

Others estimate as many as 40 million Kurds live in Big Kurdistan
(Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Armenia), which covers an area as big as France,
about half of all Kurds which estimate to 20 million live in Turkey.

The Kurdish flag flown officially in Iraqi Kurdistan but unofficially
flown by Kurds in Armenia. The flag is banned in Iran, Syria, and Turkey
where flying it is a criminal offence"